By David Owen
December 3 – Qatar 2022, a World Cup of upsets? Well, actually yes, as the group stage draws to a close, the opening phase of this massively controversial tournament has indeed, by one objective yardstick, been the most surprising in recent history.
December 2 – UEFA has opened an investigation into Juventus over the alleged financial fraud that has seen Juve’s board resign and a series of indictments issued against them by Italian authorities.
December 2 – Once again, four-time world champions Germany departed the World Cup in the first round despite a 4-2 victory against Costa Rica in their final group E game with coach Hansi Flick saying that a reboot was needed.
December 2 – Saudi Arabia has formally submitted a bid to host the AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2026, a major socio-political statement by the country that only a few years ago did not allow women into stadia to watch football.
December 2 – Portugal’s players have on average had more playing time in 2022 than any other nation at the Qatar 2022 World Cup, according to a ranking of nations by average number of player minutes in competitive action.
December 2 – FIFA are reported to be considering scrapping three-team groups at the World Cup 2026 tournament – the first with 48 teams – and sticking with the status quo of four-team groups.
December 2 – Belgium’s coach Roberto Martinez has stepped down following his side’s goalless draw with Croatia and premature exit from the World Cup.
December 2 – Stephanie Frappart made history on Thursday as the first woman to referee a men’s World Cup match, taking charge of the Germany vs Costa Rica final group E game at the Al Bayt Stadium.
December 2 – LaLiga North America has teamed up with mixed martial arts organisation UFC, for a joint promotional partnership to engage with fans across both sports.
December 2 – Another footballer has been questioned by police investigating gambling in sport.
December 1 – Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa will run unopposed for a third full term as president of The Asian Football Confederation (AFC), the fourth time he has been elected to lead the confederation.
December 1 – Danish head coach Kasper Hjulmand has blamed the off-the-field controversies at the Qatar World Cup for his team’s failure at the tournament.
By Samindra Kunti in Doha
December 1 – Do Australia have a new golden generation? Yes, at least in the view of Socceroos coach Graham Arnold, who hailed his players after a dour 1-0 victory against Denmark was enough to ensure passage to the last 16 of the World Cup, for only the second time in Australia’s history.
December 1 – Almost every game at this World Cup has exceeded 100 minutes in length, but FIFA’s head of referees has defended his referees for the vast amounts of injury time being added.
December 1 – Cristiano Ronaldo is on the verge of a sensational move to leading Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr according to unconfirmed reports.